Dan Straily rejoins Lotte Giants to replace Glenn Sparkman

Dan Straily pitches for the Lotte Giants in August, 2021. [YONHAP]

The Lotte Giants on Tuesday announced the return of former ace Dan Straily for $400,000 after waiving Glenn Sparkman on Sunday.

Straily rejoins the Giants just over half a season after leaving the club at the end of 2021. He has spent the first half of this season pitching with the minor league Reno Aces, where he picked up three wins and three losses with a 6.35 ERA.

Straily originally joined the Giants in 2020, pitching a standout season with 15 wins and four losses and a 2.50 ERA. That year, he led the KBO with 205 strikeouts in 194 and two third innings pitched. He had a more difficult season in 2021, with 10 wins and 12 losses with a 4.07 ERA.

The Giants recall Straily as they face a tough final few months of the 2022 KBO season with a significant hill to overcome on the way to a playoff spot.

As of press time Wednesday, the Giants are in seventh place with 40 wins, 51 losses and four ties so far this season, putting them a huge 23.5 games behind the SSG Landers in first place and 6.5 games behind the Kia Tigers in fifth place.

Although he had a shaky season in 2021 and has been sluggish in the minors this year, Straily's experience in the KBO is likely to make for an easy transition back into the Giants rotation, making him a relatively reliable pick for the Busan club.

Straily replaces Sparkman, who end his KBO rookie year early with two wins and four losses with a 5.31 ERA.

Sparkman isn't the only Lotte player to face the chop this summer. Last month, the Giants also released outfielder DJ Peters and recruited Zach Reks to take his place. With Reks and Straily both joining the club, starter Charlie Barnes is the only remaining member of the Giants original foreign player lineup.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]